


The Magic of Sledding

by Ruddcatha



Series: Ruddcatha's Inuyasha One Shots [10]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Realization of love, Romance, Sledding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruddcatha/pseuds/Ruddcatha
Summary: It's been three years since Kagome fell down the well; Naraku has been defeated, and the jewel was finally whole.  Taking advantage of a beautiful snow filled landscape, Kagome shows Inuyasha the joys of sledding for the first time, and a snow filled tumble leads to confessions and a question.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Series: Ruddcatha's Inuyasha One Shots [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081619
Comments: 25
Kudos: 62





	The Magic of Sledding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gribedli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gribedli/gifts).



“Come on Inuyasha!” An excited voice broke through the quiet. An ebony-haired young woman plodded through the knee-high snow; an empty rice bag thrown over her arm. Kagome Higurashi looked around the landscape, taking in the pure snow turning the world into a winter wonderland.

She loved snow in the Feudal Era; it was free of pollution that turned it dull. There was no slush on the side of a road, dyed black by cars: it was just a sea of white. It was the first time in three years that they did not have _something_ hanging over their heads: there was no Naraku to fight, and the jewel shards had all been collected and purified. It was just them, free to finally enjoy life and their time together.

And she was going to take advantage of it. Starting now.

“Idiot, would you slow down?”

A red clad figure bound after her, rushing through the snow after the laughing girl. Silver hair streamed behind the man, so pale it was almost blending in with the snow. Two silvery ears perched along the top of his head, twitching madly as he listened for any potential threats.

“Damnit Kagome, stop moving,” Inuyasha snarled as he launched himself up to land in front of her. “What are you planning to do, woman?”

“I’m trying to get to the top of the hill.”

“Keh, why the hell would you want to do that?”

“So we could come back down it.”

“You want to go to the top of the hill… just to come back down?” Inuyasha repeated, incredulously. “The hell is wrong with you?”

“I want to go sledding with you.” Kagome tilted her head up, and warm brown eyes met amber. “I just… It’s been so long since we’ve been able to just… have fun and enjoy things.”

“Sledding… and this involves going to the top of the hill just to come back down again…”

“Yup!” Kagome beamed at him. “We don’t have a sled here, but that’s why I brought the rice bag. We sit on it, and we slide down the hill on top of the snow, and then we run back up and do it again.”

“Sledding… huh?” Inuyasha looked at her then up the hill. “But there’s only one bag, so do we take turns?”

Kagome’s cheeks lightly flushed, and she caught her bottom lip with her teeth. Inuyasha’s focus was drawn to that small movement, his eyes lingering on her lips with longing. He couldn’t say when he had fallen for the future-born miko, but there was little doubt he had, and hard. He had tried to hide it for years; he hadn’t wanted her to be targeted by Naraku more than she already had been, and he knew that she had been uncomfortable with his need to protect Kikyo. Now, both of those concerns were behind them, but he still hesitated. He had seen what his mother had gone through, and knew how he had been treated as a hanyo; there was no way he wanted Kagome to be subjected to the same treatment.

But god, he wanted to. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how much he wanted to be with her: to make her his wife, his mate, the mother of his children… his life. She already was his life, but he just… couldn’t tell her…

“I… I thought we could both share the bag.” He was so lost in his thoughts he almost missed her soft words.

His ears shot straight up, quivering with excitement. Did she… did she really…

“So, the top of the hill, huh?” Kagome’s face brightened at his words; this was perfect. He had to be close to her, and no one would be able to say anything about it? Yeah, he was in. He turned and knelt down, looking over his shoulder to Kagome. “Get on.”

Kagome’s giggle echoed in the clearing, and when she drew close to take her position on his back, her scent—the intoxicating scent of vanilla and roses that had been hidden by her winter clothing—surrounded him, and he took a deep breath. He hitched her higher on his back, wrapping his hands around her legs, ears quivering as he waited for the soft hitch in her breath. The moment he heard that sound he smirked and leapt into the air, clearing the hill in a few leaps.

He set her down at the top of the hill and turned to her with a grin.

“Keh, so now what do we do?”

Kagome held out the bag to him, presenting the seam of the bag. 

“I need you to cut this open.”

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow at her before drawing a claw through the seam. Kagome shook the bag, pulling out the rest of the thread to flatten the bag before laying it on the ground and sitting in the middle of it.

“You are going to have to sit behind me and hold on.”

Yeah, you didn’t have to tell him twice. With a quickly concealed grin he slid behind her, keeping a little distance between them, before placing his hands on her waist.

“You will need to be closer, Inuyasha,” Kagome whispered, and Inuyasha’s ears twitched at how breathless her voice sounded.

Did she…

Could she…

There was absolutely no way he was going to waste the opportunity to be the one wrapped around her for once. Sure, he had held her before, but usually it was either a desperate attempt to get her out of danger or when she was injured, and he couldn’t enjoy the moment. This time…

There were no enemies, no blood: just him, and Kagome.

He closed the distance between them, his eyes closing for a moment with how _perfectly_ she fit against him, as if they were made for each other. He slid his arms around her waist, securing her against him, and placed his chin on her shoulder. They both went still, Kagome’s ragged breathing the only sound around them.

If he held her just a little more tightly, a little more snuggly against him than the situation needed, well…

She wasn’t complaining, was she?

Wait…

She wasn’t complaining… No, she was settling herself even more against him, and he felt his cheeks flush as he felt his body respond to her.

‘ _Think of Sesshomaru… think of Koga… think of…’_

Kagome pressed her back against his chest, and all hopes of thinking of other things went out the window. There was just Kagome. Beautiful, wonderful Kagome. Inuyasha closed his eyes and let himself imagine that they weren’t on a hill, preparing for this _sle-ding_ as Kagome called it, but in their own hut, alone together, where no one would judge them, no one would hurt her, where he could just love he…

“Ready?” Kagome’s voice was shaky as she leaned her head against his.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha breathed. He was ready for that life with Kagome. Ready to take a chance, to build a futu…

He was not ready for Kagome to tilt forward, bringing him with her and the bag to slide forward, picking up momentum as it hurtled down the hill. It felt like flying: the wind against his face, the race of trees at the corner of his vision when he opened his eyes. He loved the feeling, which is why he preferred to run everywhere, but this was… _more_ … As much as he loved carrying Kagome on his back, feeling her around him, it seemed so much more intimate having her tucked before him, leaning back against him trustingly.

All too soon they began to slow as the rice bag hit level ground. In a flash he had released Kagome and bound in front of her before kneeling down.

“Again!” he exclaimed, his eyes bright, and with a laugh Kagome jumped up, grabbed the bag, and held on as he leapt back up the hill, looking for higher and higher spots.

Inuyasha quickly learned how to help Kagome steer the bag, shifting his weight with her when they felt themselves begin to drift, digging his heels to the snow to slow down if they needed to turn.

It was their fifth run down the hill when disaster struck.

He had taken them to the highest point he could find, anxious to have the ride last as long as possible, as he could feel the snow and cold seeping through the bag they were using. As they descended the mountain, the tip of a rock that had been hidden by the snow caught the edge of the bag, and Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves thrown forward as the bag abruptly stopped under them.

“KAGOME,” Inuyasha yelled in a panic as he felt his hold on her slip.

Inuyasha grabbed her jacket, pulling her back into his arms as he curled around her, spinning to take the brunt of their fall instead of her. Their momentum spun them the moment they hit, and they tumbled down the rest of the hill, Inuyasha trying to protect Kagome the best he could with his body. Inuyasha could feel his heart pounding in his chest as their fall seemed endless; he didn’t dare check on her until they stopped, for fear that she would be pulled from him again and be hurt.

The moment they stopped, he pushed to his knees, frantically checking for the scent of blood.

“Kagome…” His voice shook with fear as he ran a hand down her cheek, praying she opened her eyes. When Kagome’s shoulders began to shake, panic set back in… _fuck,_ she was crying. If she was crying, if she was hurt, if she was hurt she…

Wait…

She wasn’t crying… she was…

“Oh my god that was so much fun!” Kagome’s laughter sounded through the clearing, a bright, happy sound, completely at odds with the panic coursing through him.

“Fun…The hell…” Inuyasha growled, his forehead dropping to hers in relief. “You are going to be the death of me, woman.”

“What’s wrong Inuyasha?” Kagome’s laughter faded into puzzlement as she felt him shaking.

“What’s wrong… I thought you were fucking hurt, Kagome, and I… I couldn’t… It was my fault, and I…”

“Inuyasha,” Kagome pushed against his chest, and when he sat back, she rose to kneel in front of him, “I’m not hurt, okay?” 

“You could have been,” he grumbled, his eyes down at the ground.

“Oh Inuyasha…”

Kagome leaned forward to place a kiss on his forehead at the exact same time he lifted his head, and her lips softly brushed against his. Both froze as warm brown eyes snapped to melted amber.

“Kagome…” Inuyasha breathed as his eyes went wide.

He saw Kagome’s eyes slide to his lips and back up, and her light pink tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. The small movement shattered his hesitation. He leaned forward slowly, his eyes on hers, waiting for a sign of rejection, but it never came. When her eyes instead drifted closed, he moaned and closed the distance between them, gently touching his lips to hers. His hand slid behind her, cradling the back of her head. A few magical, wonderful moments later, he had to pull away, the need to breathe only barely outweighing the need to feel Kagome against him.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome whispered, her hand rising to his cheek before she moved forward, closing the space between them, and pressing her lips against his.

He growled as he pulled her closer, angling his head for better access to her mouth. The first brush of her tongue against his lips sent a shudder through him, and he parted his lips, letting his tongue dance against hers. The first full taste of Kagome seared into his soul, and he knew he would never be able to get enough of this woman.

When Kagome pulled back, he tried to follow her lips with a whine.

“Marry me.”

The words were pulled from his soul.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome’s voice trembled, her eyes shimmering with tears and hope.

“Marry me. Stay with me; don’t go back to your time. I can’t…” Inuyasha’s mouth went dry as he felt himself drowning in her eyes. “I don’t… Kagome…” he growled, his nerves getting the best of him. “I…”

“Hey,” Kagome said with a smile in her voice as she ran a hand over Inuyasha’s hair. Inuyasha sighed and nuzzled his head into her hand, a deep rumble sounding as she stroked one of his ears. “All you had to do was ask.”


End file.
